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Directory, just like an online yellow page, instead of storing phone/fax numbers, address for companies and persons, it stores title, short description and domain name of a website (it doesn't store sub urls, so don't try to submit a second level page to the directory). It is different from spider search engines, which index any websites submitted, while most of the directories will depends on editors to review your website and decide whether to add it into their database or not.

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However, most of the internet users except website owner don't know too much about directory, and to find something, they will search in Google, MSN, Yahoo, Altavista, etc. Even for website owners, they will rely on spider search engines for information instead of directory. Does this mean directory is not important? The answer is no, even it is more vital than spider search engines, because most of the search engines will use directory as their data source.

Directory Types

Based on the payment to the directories, there are three kinds of directories.

Open Directory, e.g. DMOZ, normally when talking open directory, we are talking DMOZ. This kind of directory doesn't require you to pay them for reviewing and indexing your website. DMOZ depends on volunteers (no salary) to view and decide whether to index your site, and hence you can imagine it's a time consuming and laborious progress to get your web indexed. For non commercial websites, yahoo also doesn't require you to pay.

Pay-Per-Inclusion Directory, e.g. yahoo. For this kind of directory, you have to pay a non refundable review fee ($299 for yahoo), which means they will review your site but don't guarantee they will add it into their database. Most of all, this charge is an annual payment, you have to drop them the same money each year, or your site will be removed the next year.

Pay-Per-Click Directory, e.g. Looksmart. For this kind of directory, you have also to pay a non refundable review fee (but is lower than pay-per-inclusion directory, for example, only $49 for Looksmart), which is also not refundable and no guarantee of index. After indexed into their library, you have to pay another small money, for example, 15 cents for Looksmart for each click you received.

Difference between spider engines, FFA and directory

Spider engines, also called general engines or indexing engines, e.g. Google, yahoo, will retrieve your website details from the meta tag or the body of your website automatically. After collecting the information, they will index all the web pages they find under specific heading or keyword. When users go search engines and enter specific keywords, every page related to those keywords is list in order of importance.

Directories, e.g. yahoo, DMOZ, their library are not generated automatically, but are compile by editors. A website that is submitted to a directory is subsequently catalogued and linked one or more business category. For example, www.hotels.com will be stored in the travel category, while www.citibank.com will be indexed in Financial or bank category.

FFA - Free For All links, e.g. A Surfer's Paradise, are pages in which links to a website can be entered together with a short comment. Owners of website can enter themselves in free, no editors or robot will review the entries, and the entry will be effective immediately.

But don't be happy that you win a free lunch. Most FFA site owners will collect email addresses from the people who submit to their site and send auto - response advertisement or spam emails everyday. Normally it is not recommended to submit to FFA sites because you are doing the job for FFA. If you do want to do that, then just only submit to those quality major FFA sites.

Prepare your homepage before submitting

Unlike spider search engines, which index any website or page submitted to them without checking its quality, directories usually only accept sites that offers quality information. Editors will review the sites and reject those with low quality. If not, why they need editors.

For open directory, the submission is a time consuming and laborious progress, and for pay-per-inclusion and pay-per-click directory, it's an expensive and non refundable project, so before submitting your website to directories, make sure that you meet their requirements. You are strongly recommended to read their submission policies and instructions carefully once or twice.

However usually directories only store domain or index pages of your site, so you only need to make changes of the default page of the domain to meet their policies, and leave others as you want. Editors don't have the time and effort to review the second or more deeper level pages.

Submit to DMOZ, yahoo and Looksmart first

As directory submission is a time consuming and laborious process, and there are hundreds of directories, no web owner has the time and effort to submit his site to each directory. So we shall choose those most important directories. If no budget available, submitting to DMOZ is essential; and if budget available, we will suggest submitting to yahoo and Looksmart. These three are accepted by most of the search engines, and will provide you a lot traffic.

There are other small and non famous directories, and if you do have time and effort, please submit to those free ones. Though can't bring a lot visitors as the above three, why you don't accept even just a little traffic from them without cost except your effort and time.

Open Directory - DMOZ

Different from yahoo and Looksmart, DMOZ is completely free of charge for submitting to its library. This is a good thing for those web owners without 1 dollar budget, however another big difference from yahoo and Looksmart will make web owners exhausted. That is: DMOZ depends on more than 30,000 volunteers to review and compile the database. These volunteer editors work in part time when they are free, and don't receive payment for the work. So when your website passed to a volunteer editor, you shall beg that the editor has the time and has the will to review your website. If the editor is busy for his full time job for 2 month, or the editor disappears, your site will go unreviewed for long period of time. Then you have to submit your site again one month later and wait another long time.

DMOZ receives less traffic than yahoo and Looksmart, but because its data is used by several major search engines, e.g. Google, AOL, Hotbot and Lycos (read other sites which use its data), being listed in DMOZ will bring a lot of visitors to your site. Moreover, some search engines will use DMOZ database in their algorithm and rank sites and pages that have accepted into it higher than those not in it.

Before the submission progress, you are strongly recommended to read its Submission Policies and Instructions, and make sure your site meets the policies. At least the default page of your domain shall follow those instructions, since normally the editor will only look at the first page of your site. Also if you have time, please read Open Directory Editing Guidelines, knowing how they select and evaluate websites definitely will help you submit to the directory.

The submission is simple, just go to the category which your business belongs to, and then click the Suggest Url link. Fill in the URL, title and short description (25-30 words), leave your email address and click submit button. Your website will be then assigned to an editor, and if lucky, your site will be listed in 4 weeks.

But doing this very carefully, first you shall find the most suitable category you belong to, and go until there is no sub category meets your business. For example, if you are selling running machine, you shall go Health > Fitness > Running. If you stop at Health > Fitness, the chance your site will be rejected is about 90%.

Second prepare the title and short description of your site just as this is one life work. You do can update your site by clicking update listing to make changes. But maybe this a more time consuming and laborious progress than the initial submission.

Don't try to submit a sub page of your site to the directory. You will be rejected without discussion by the editors. There are two ways you can success, first is to apply a new domain name for the sub page, second is to submit to other languages. For example you have a Spanish version site for spanish.runningmachine.com, you can submit it to Health > Fitness > Running > Spanish (if there is).

If your site is not listed in 4 weeks, try to submit again. Once more if you can't find it in their library, start contact them by click report abuse/spam.

Pay-Per-Click Directory - Looksmart

Looksmart was ever the biggest directory, but now it doesn't receive as many traffic as yahoo. However the directory still has its importance because its data are used by several famous search engines, for example, MSN, Altavista, Mamma, Dogpile. Most of all, Altavista gives higher ranking for the sites indexed by Looksmart.

As mentioned above, Looksmart requires a $49 of non-refundable review, which doesn't guarantee it will accept your site and doesn't give your any clicks. After accepted, you shall drop another minimum $150 as initial deposit for clicks, and then will deduct 15 cents from it for each click you receive. Another bad thing is that you will be charged a minimum $15/month even if you site doesn't get 100 clicks.

Looksmart uses an algorithm based on the title, description, keywords and category of sites, so there is no guarantee that your website will be listed in the top or the first page for the keywords you entered. To make your payment worth it, please spend some time on the title, description and keywords.

Zeal, Looksmart acquired it in2000, and integrated it into Looksmart database. Zeal is almost the same as open directory for non commercial websites. It is free and depends on volunteers to review sites submitted. For non commercial websites, you can submit to Looksmart via Zeal for free.

Pay-Per-Inclusion Directory - Yahoo

Currently yahoo is the biggest directories. Though it is the most expensive for submission fees, listing in yahoo will be worth that, because it will provide your site with huge traffic and increase Google PageRank.

Yahoo depends its employee (hired editors) to review, compile and maintain the directory. Hence the submission process is faster than open directory, and much more easy to make changes to the submitted sites.

For non commercial websites, it is free for the submission, while for commercial websites, payment is required. Here I'm going to focus on commercial sites.

For English language commercial sites, yahoo offers a paid submission service called "Yahoo Express". You shall pay a $299 ($600 for adult sites) non refundable fee. This is a review fee, and then yahoo will review your site within one week. If you want to pay more, they can review your site in 3 days. Remember, this is a review fee and doesn't guarantee that your site will be added into their directory. But it includes a free appeal within 30 days if you site get rejected.

Though not so easy as open directory will be rejected, you are also recommended to read its guidelines - Yahoo! Directory Listing. Make sure your site meets their requirements and just submit once to success. If do get rejected, yahoo will send your an explanation email. Modify your site per the email, and submit again within the free appeal period.

However this initial review fee just give you one year to to list your site in its directory (if your site was accepted). Furthermore, for each listing accepted into the Directory, there is a recurring annual fee of US$299 to maintain the listing in the Directory for the subsequent year.

Just as the review fee doesn't guarantee accept by yahoo, indexed into this directory doesn't promise top ranking for the keywords you entered. Yahoo stores the sites according to categories, but which position your site will be ranked is a complex question. Most of the articles in internet will focus on title, short description, category, and keywords, urls, etc, but no article can completely unclose the secret. Maybe only yahoo knows how the search result ranking. Anyway, just read those articles from internet, more or less will help you improve the ranking in yahoo search.

In addition to the main site, there are several country/region-specific Yahoo's that list sites directly related to different countries and regions. The cost is different for each locations, some maybe free, please consult with Yahoo's regional offices.

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